Race, Ethnicity, Class, and Crime in the Media Fall 2020

Eric Dawkins

Crim 410

Media Blog Post 2

Racial Injustice and its Effects on the World

Summary: The film I have chosen to analyze is called “Race Matters: America in Crisis.” This video accurately describes, discusses, and portrays the racial injustice that has occurred recently as well as including statistics and the affects it has on others. To begin, one of the best ways this video showed how the racial injustices that have happened affect others was by interviewing protesters that were also black. One protester said that “He wants to be able to not worry about being stopped by the police for just standing in front of a store, or being able to walk in a store with a hoodie on.” Another said that these incidents are happening so much that he “expects a black man’s life to be taken each month by the police.” These words also probably speak for many people that feel the same way. These incidents of racial bias and racial injustice not only take their toll on the victim, but also on the family as well.

This was the case with Terence Crutcher’s sister, Tiffany Crutcher. In her interview, she said after the death of George Floyd she “broke out in hives and couldn’t sleep for three days.” She also said she was taking Terence’s son and some cousins to the movies when she got pulled over and the kids were screaming and crying because they thought they were going to be shot as well. So, from this we can infer that these incidents also have severe, lasting effects on and abundance of people, not just the victim. Furthermore, this film also provides statistics about racial bias. The first of these is that in May, even with the pandemic, white unemployment dropped while black unemployment rose to 17%. Next, the second statistic shown in the video was that black men and boys are almost two and a half times more likely to be killed by police than white men and boys. This second statistic supports the arguments made by the protesters earlier in the video because it validates their fear for their life during encounters with law enforcement, especially when they should not even be happening.

During this film, they also offered suggestions regarding reform and changes that need to be made in order to solve and reduce the racial injustice from police. However, before that, they discuss some of the barriers that could be delaying or stopping change. One of the barriers mentioned was the fact that there is a sense of culture in policing and that it is hard for police and others to get away from a culture that has been around for so long. Another barrier they mentioned was that there may be a chief out there that wants to make change and do the right thing, but the tenures for chiefs are only about three to four years which is not long enough. Regardless, some of their reform suggestions included having black and white officers be made aware of how easily their actions can make them be held accountable and that the public’s view of police stems from their behavior. Another reform suggestion was adding diversity to the positions and levels of law enforcement that can change and reform policies.

Analysis: This video resonates well with the topics we have discussed in class as well as some of the readings in “Policing the Black Man” by Angela Davis (2018). The first connection that I noticed could be made between the one protester’s remarks about wanting to be able to stand in front of a store or walk through a store with a hoodie on, and the story of Bryan Stevenson (2018) where he says, “But to the Atlanta police officer threatening to shoot me I looked like a criminal, someone dangerous and guilty” (p. 3). The connection I recognized from these two parts of the reading and video deals with the appearance of a black man and the potential, and in Stevenson’s case, actual racially biased behavior from an officer that could have turned fatal. Another connection I made between the video and a reading was the statistic about black men and boys being two and a half times more likely to be killed by police than white men and boys and the statement made by Katheryn Russell-Brown (2018) in the chapter about implicit bias in Davis’ book when she says, “The disproportionately high rate at which black men are killed by the police is a major social problem in the United States” (p. 135). These relate because the cause for this statistic and statement’s relationship can be directly connected to the ongoing issue of implicit bias in police and the toll it is having on its victims.

Personal Reflection: In my opinion, I thought this video was structured well as it showed and provided background on the recent incidents of racial injustice by police, then it merged with people voicing their opinions, fears, and wants about how life should be and how police should act. In addition, they discussed the resounding effects these incidents have on others as well as the victim. They then talked about barriers to change and went on to suggest reforms themselves. This film increased my understanding of the issue because it exemplified the effects these incidents have on children and how it could shape their perceptions of police. I agree with everything presented in the video. This being the fact that there does need to be change, not all cops are bad, and that the bigger picture needs to be addressed before these incidents will stop. I would recommend this video to others because it goes into detail about what has happened, what needs to and should change, and overall offers accurate information to people who may not know enough about this issue.

References

Davis, A. J. (2018). Policing the Black man: Arrest, prosecution, and imprisonment. New York: Vintage Books, a division of Penguin Random House LLC.

Russel- Brown, K. (2018). Making Implicit Bias Explicit. In A. J. Davis, Policing the Black Man: Arrest, Prosecution, and Imprisonment (pp. 135-160). New York, NY: Vintage Books.

Russel-Brown, K (2018). Making Implicit Bias Explicit. In A.J. Davis, Policing the Black Man: Arrest, Prosecution, and Imprisonment (pp. 135-160). New York, NY: Vintage Books.

Stevenson, B. (2018). A presumption of guilt: The Legacy of America’s History of Racial Injustice. In A.J. Davis, Policing the Black Man: Arrest, Prosecution, and Imprisonment (pp. 3-20). Vintage Books.